


Code Cracked

by greyvs



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Artificial Intelligence, Hurt/Comfort, Mind Control, Near Death Experiences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 03:47:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21191039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greyvs/pseuds/greyvs
Summary: So back when I first watched She-Ra season 1, episode 11 'Promise' absolutely ripped my heart out. And I wrote this with the idea of Adora being fed up with being told what to do.Immortals are assholes.And Adora and Catra are fed up.





	Code Cracked

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story about hurt and breaking free that I originally posted on tumblr: https://greyvss.tumblr.com/post/181134751544/code-cracked
> 
> But I decided I want to start shuffling over my work from Tumblr onto AO3

Adora plunged her sword into the floor of the Memory Room, a shock rippling through the simulation. All throughout the room everything, every memory, every voice, froze in place.

Catra looked around in surprise as the whole room flickered and glitched in place, her own hologram frozen. All at once, a crackle of energy rippled through the simulation, sparks jumping across the walls of the Fright Zone and traveling away from her. The whole simulation flashed as Adora’s scream echoed through the halls.

“Adora!” Catra shouted as she ran after the sparks, “Adora, where are you?!”

If she were actually in the Fright Zone, she’d feel more confident that she could find her, but this wasn’t her home. This was a nightmare; a techno nightmare that she went looking for. Why did she think any of this tech would work for her?! It chose Adora! All of this did! Not her! Adora’s always the special one, the one everyone and everything chooses over her!

“Adora!”

Her eyes widened as she chased down the sparks, coming to a stop at the combat arena. Something was wrong. The room was pitch black save for a red light in the middle of the room, and all of the sparks were going there. As she walked into the room the whole simulation flickered and pulsed, first one’s code arcing through the room towards the red light. Catra’s eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, following the lines of code along the floor until her eyes came to rest on the sword; every spark flowed into the sword as it stay embedded in the floor, the code pulsed crimson as it traveled up the sword to the hilt. Adora was standing completely still, the light flickering around her as red lines spread from the sword along her hands. For a moment the light flickered, taking on the shape of a towering woman with a hood before changing back again.

“A…Adora?” Catra asked, her voice trailing off as she reached out for her shoulder.

“Unauthorized presence detected.” Adora’s voice answered.

Adora’s head turned to look at her, but her eyes had turned as red as the lines, shining with the same light that surrounded her. Catra backed away as the sword was pulled from the floor and pointed directly at her. Her expression was completely blank, like she was sleep walking.

“A-Adora it’s me, remember?” She said with a nervous smile, voice shaking more than she’d like as she stared down at the point of the sword.

“Catra.”

She looked up at Adora’s expressionless face, hoping for something there that she knew.

“Horde. Appointed Force Captain.” Her voice droned as Catra backed up against a wall.

“Y-Yeah, it’s me! Remember?”

“Recognized. You are horde. You are an intruder.” She said, raising the sword high.

Catra’s eyes widened as she jumped out of the way of the powerful swing of the blade, the wall behind her sparking and crackling with the hit. She quickly bolted behind Adora and made for the exit, trying to get as far from her as possible. But the door had vanished. There was no way out of the room as Adora’s body chased after her, every swing of the sword getting closer.

“Let me out of here!” Catra screamed as she slashed at the walls, electricity arcing up her arm for her trouble.

She turned and duck out of the way just enough to avoid another slash, but this time Adora spun on her heel; a hot shock of pain flared as Catra was knocked down, blood dripping from a broken nose. She crawled away from Adora as she looked down at her, eyes empty except for the red glow.

“You are everything from her past with the horde.” Adora’s voice said matter of factly, the sword sparking across as the floor as she strolled after her.

“You are their influence. Their ideas. Their hate. You are all that took her from her destiny.” She said, the towering robed woman flickering to life around her again. “She refuses to let you go. To embrace what is needed.”

“You left me! You didn’t hold onto me, you left! And you never came back!” Catra snapped, coughing as blood dripped into her mouth.

She stared up at her in a mix of fear and rage as Adora, cloaked by this hooded hologram, stood over her. The simulation flickered and changed, Adora and Catra resembling their younger selves again, the sword looking so much larger in a child’s hands.

“You said you wanted protect me! You didn’t protect me!” She screamed up at her, tears running down her face from pain, not just from injuries. “You said we’d look out for each other, but you were always busy! You didn’t stop for anything!”

She lost her balance and fell to the floor, her head spinning as it hit the floor. When her vision cleared, Adora was standing over her, all grown up again, the sword pointed down at her.

“What-What am I to you?” Catra croaked, staring up at her and trying hard to see the person she knew.

“You are a distraction.” Adora’s voice said matter-of-factly. “And you shall to be eliminated.”

Catra closed her eyes as the sword rose over her head. Her ears twitched and folded away as she heard the sword swing down. But the hit never came. What was she waiting for?

Catra opened her eyes to see the sword shaking mere inches from splitting her head like a log. Adora’s whole arm was shaking, her face blank even as her own muscles trembled and twitched.

“E-Eliminating-ting i-intruder.” Her voice shook, the light in her eyes flickering back and forth from red to blue.

Adora’s whole body trembled as it struggled against the sword. Her expression cracked as she gritted her teeth, eyes still flickering as she raised the sword. A scream tore its way from her throat as she hurled the sword away, the blade flying clean through the air and finding its mark as the sparks arced all across the Memory Room. She fell to her knees as the scene around them flickered from the bowels of the Fright Zone, to the Woods, to the Terrace overlooking the whole complex, before finally settling on a room Adora had only seen in a vision.

Light Hope’s chamber flickered to life around them, and there Light Hope’s form towered over them, the sword plunged deep into the circuitry behind them.

“Error. Er-Error.” Light Hope’s voice, the voice Catra heard speaking in time with Adora’s, crackled as she spoke. “Do-Do not un-understand.”

Catra looked back and forth from the hologram to Adora in disbelief as the room settled around them.

“Do not understand, She-ra…” Light Hope spoke, Adora looking up as she continued. “Adora, explain.”

“I…I-I don’t…” Adora stammered, her voice faltering as Light Hope’s form flickered and was replaced with a hologram of Glimmer.

“Adora, explain.” Light Hope’s voice repeated as another hologram, this one of Bow, appeared. “Explain.”

The word echoed again and again as more and more holograms, more and more faces, appeared around them, the word only getting louder with each one. Entrapta, Perfuma, Frosta, Scorpia, every last one began to appear each repeating the word. Catra’s eyes widened in fear as the ghostly crowd around them just grew larger, and the demand grew louder.

“Adora!” Catra gasped as Shadow Weaver materialized, towering above them all on her robes.

“Explain, Adora.” The voices boomed.

“**Because I don’t want to be alone!**” Adora shouted, the room falling silent as her words echoed around them.

Catra tore her gaze away from the holograms to look at Adora who was curled in on herself, tears falling down her cheeks.

“That’s all I’ve ever wanted…To not be alone.” Adora continued, her voice shaking. “I don’t know who I am, or why I’m here. I just…I just need to know what I’m supposed to do!”

“Adora…” Catra whispered, reaching for her before lowering her hand as Adora started to sob.

“I don’t know anything! I just…” Adora’s voice cracked as she whispered. “I just need to know what I’m supposed to do…”

Catra’s eyes widened, her fists clenching as Adora asked,_ “What am I?”_.

“You are the guardian of this planet. Chosen by the First Ones to keep balance.” The crowd answered, Light Hope’s voice booming around them. “Your destiny is to–”

“Shut up!” Catra snapped as she moved, raising her arms to block Adora from the crowd. “Just shut up already!”

Adora looked up at her in surprise and an old memory clicked in her head. The whole room flickered as the Black Garnet appeared in the chamber, the crowd now replaced with Light Hope’s gigantic form.

“Don’t talk like you know her! You don’t know us!” She shouted at the AI as the room continued to flicker and change, the floor being replaced by familiar metal.

“We were raised in barracks! On our own! We did what we had to get stronger, so we could keep ourselves safe!” She ranted, the walls of the chamber flickering and changing to those of the Black Garnet chamber.

“She doesn’t need this! We don’t need this!” Catra’s voice cracked as she glared up at the hologram, the memory now reversed with Catra shielding Adora. “Why should she fight for you?! **We’re just kids!**”

“Catra…” Adora said slowly, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Light Hope stared down at them passively as Catra’s arms fell to her sides, Adora reaching down and simply taking her hand. Adora looked up into the eyes of the AI, her expression cold.

“Open the door. We’re leaving.” Adora ordered, squeezing Catra’s hand.

Light Hope’s form flickered as the door to the Memory room opened, the chamber fading to darkness save for the flickering sword. As Adora and Catra made their way to the door, Adora reached out and pulled the sword from the wall, the code gone from the blade.

“You are supposed to bring balance. You need this place.” Light Hope said as they went through the door. “You must continue the fight.”

“Oh, I’ll continue the fight.” Adora retorted, letting go of Catra’s hand to turn and stare at Light Hope as the door began to slide shut. “But I fight for me. Not you.”

The Memory Room sealed itself once more, Light Hope’s form flickering out of existence as even the last sparks in the room died. The Memory Room was quiet once more, waiting for the next in line, if they ever came.


End file.
